New poll predicts Tories to take seven seats from SNP

Politics: Result would bring highest Conservative return since 1992

The Conservatives are on course to take seven seats from the SNP in the general election including three in the north-east, according to a new poll.

Moray, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and Aberdeen South are among those predicted to change hands.

The projection, which comes from a YouGov survey, gives the nationalists 47 seats, the Tories eight, the Liberal Democrats three and Labour one after June 8.

If borne out, the result would be the highest Tory return north of the border since 1992 when the party won 11.

The Conservatives were wiped out in the 1997 general election and since 2001 have had only one MP representing a Scottish constituency.

Voting intentions from the poll have the SNP leading

“I believe we can do even better than this poll suggests”

on 41%, followed by the Tories on 28%, Labour (18%), the Liberal Democrats (7%), the Greens (3%) and Ukip (2%) across Scotland.

It also found 42% are in favour of another independence referendum, with 51% against and 7% saying they don’t know.

Asked about the timing of any future vote, 37% said they wanted one after Brexit negotiations conclude but before Britain leaves the EU, while 49% said they did not want a referendum then.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the findings revealed Theresa May was “more in touch” with people in Scotland than Nicola Sturgeon.

But Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said they showed that only the SNP could win against an “out-of-control Tory party”.

Lib Dem former Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael said the poll demonstrated his party’s fight-back was continuing, both in Scotland and across the UK. The northern isles MP added: “I believe we can do even better than this poll suggests and between now and June 8 we shall be fighting for every vote.”

Scottish Labour general election campaign manager James Kelly said it was time for the nationalists to “focus on the job of governing”.

More than 1,000 people took part in the survey between April 24 and 27.

The other seats the poll suggests the Conservatives will win from the SNP are Perth and North Perthshire, Dumfries and Galloway, the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk seat and East Renfrewshire, while retaining David Mundell’s constituency of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. It predicts the Lib Dems will pick up East Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh West, both won by the SNP in 2015.